Daring to care
One DFW city ranks among the 10 most caring cities in America
Plano is one of the happiest and most caring places in America.
One North Texas city has some of the kindest, most generous residents in the country. So says a new report that ranks 100 cities across the U.S.
Called Most Caring Cities in America (2025), it's from personal finance website WalletHub and it compares 100 of the most populated cities in the U.S.
The city of Plano comes in at No. 10, ranking highly on various factors such as caring for the local community, caring for the vulnerable, and caring in the workforce.
Virginia Beach, Virginia earns the top spot on the list at No. 1. Other top 10 cities include Boston, San Diego, and Scottsdale, Arizona.
Coming in at the bottom of the list is Birmingham, Alabama, followed by Baton Rouge. Other bottom-dwellers include Memphis, Detroit, and Albuquerque.
Out of the three main criteria, Plano performed the best for its "caring for the community" rank (No. 8), which was determined based on the city's crime rates, the civic engagement of its residents, the share of a household's income donated to charity, and more.
Plano also cares for its community in other ways, whether it's through maintaining its long-held family-friendly reputation or by maintaining a pristine park system. All of these reasons contribute to why so many people are choosing to live in the second-happiest city in the nation.
Plano also scored well in the overall "caring for the vulnerable" category (No. 12), which covers child and adult poverty rates, adoption rates, availability of paid family leave, the number of rehab centers per capita, pet shelters and rescue services, and the "disability-friendliness" of employers.
Plano still has work to do when it comes to caring for its workforce, however: The city ranked No. 71 out of all 100 U.S. cities. This metric focused on the number of first responders, healthcare professionals, teachers, and counselors per capita.
Still, it's a strong showing and a big leap over the city's 2023 ranking as the No. 17 most caring American city.
WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo says there are many factors that make cities like Plano a true "caring" and supportive place for its residents.
"The most caring cities donate a lot of money to charity and have high volunteer rates, but being a caring city overall requires much more than just giving time or money," Lupo says. "In addition, the top cities have low crime rates, environmentally-friendly residents and low rates of poverty and homelessness."
Small steps are important, too. Community care is as simple as helping an elderly neighbor unload groceries from their car, keeping a vigilant eye out for porch pirates or suspicious activity, and spending quality time with loved ones.
Plano was once again the highest ranked Texas city in WalletHub's list. Other North Texas cities that earned spots in the report include Irving (No. 36), Garland (No. 39), Fort Worth (No. 54), Arlington (No. 58), and Dallas (No. 77).
Elsewhere in Texas, Austin ranked No. 45, but San Antonio (No. 89) and Houston (No. 91) barely skirted onto the list.
The top 10 most caring U.S. cities, according to WalletHub, are:
- No. 1 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
- No. 2 – Scottsdale, Arizona
- No. 3 – Boston, Massachusetts
- No. 4 – Gilbert, Arizona
- No. 5 – Chesapeake, Virginia
- No. 6 – Fremont, California
- No. 7 – San Diego, California
- No. 8 – Madison, Wisconsin
- No. 9 – Colorado Springs, Colorado
- No. 10 – Plano, Texas
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